With all these many benefits, it’s only right to have your child play with puzzles as soon as she’s ready to play with one.

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So what are the best puzzles for toddlers?

If this is your toddler’s first time playing with puzzles, start with a basic one like a shape sorter. You can then move on to wooden puzzles wherein one large piece like an elephant , fits into a cutout shape on the board. From there, move on to puzzles with more pieces.

For example, the top of the box has a hinged lid. Because of this, children can play with the Cubbie Wooden Shape Sorter as a “bucket” for putting things in and out. At the same time, the shapes can also be stacked one on top of the other for some basic tower building work.

Toddler Wooden Puzzle Set: Chunky Puzzles for 2 -3 Year Olds

They’re wooden and they’re chunky. and they’re dinosaurs.

This wooden puzzle set is the combination you need for a perfect puzzle for toddlers. When your child is ready to move on to puzzles with more pieces, check out this set of dinosaur puzzles by Melissa & Doug.

I especially love the storage box this puzzles go in. This may seem such a little thing, but you’ll be thankful for it. You will always know where the pieces are and it makes it easy to take with you when you’re out and about.

3 Ft. Long Traffic Jigsaw Puzzle: Jumbo Toddler Floor Puzzles

When your child finally moves on to doing more puzzle pieces, she’s going to love this Jumbo floor puzzle.

It’s 3 feet long and has 32 pieces. It has a traffic/transportation theme. It’s the perfect size for little hands. With its vibrant colors and beautiful clear images, you can easily engage your child while doing it. Don’t forget to talk about the different colors, the cars to widen his vocabulary.

25-Piece Floor Puzzles: Animal Theme

This is made of thick cardboard and one that toddlers hands can easily handle. Children can play with this on the floor or a table if they want.

Parents love that this puzzle is sturdy and well-made. Each puzzle connects to the other pieces around it without any problems. It’s also not too busy so it’s easier for younger toddlers to connect the pieces together.

This comes in a box that you can easily carry with you when you travel.

All you need are pictures and a contact sheet and voila! you got yourself a puzzle

Feeling Faces Puzzles For Teaching Emotions

Isn’t it great what you can do with a paper plate? Just draw faces on it, cut it in half and you got yourself a puzzle.

FAQ: Puzzles For Toddlers

Can Toddlers Do Puzzles?

Yes. The CDC Milestone checklist recommends that toddlers play with puzzles starting at 18 months.

How To Teach Toddler Puzzles?

Puzzles are great educational tools. But you don’t have to teach it. You play it.

What I mean is that the most important thing is to make it fun. Children easily learn this way.

When you first start to introduce puzzles to toddlers, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Start with the most basic puzzle like a shape sorter or an image that slots on to a wooden board. It needs to be easy enough so she doesn’t get frustrated. Whenever she gets one right, clap and praise her. This gives her the signal that she’s doing the right thing. This boosts her confidence to keep doing it.

Show don’t tell. Don’t just put the puzzles in front of your child and wait for genius to happen. It’s true that some kids will figure it out, but most kids will need a little bit of showing from the start.

Talk while you’re doing the puzzle. So if you’re putting in a square into a square space, say something like “Oh look! The red square fits in this square!”. You can then ask him if he wants to try it. If he does and he gets it right, make a big deal of it. If he doesn’t get it right, show him again (with enthusiasm in your voice).

If he still doesn’t get it right and he’s looking a bit frustrated, stop the game. There’s always tomorrow. Give it another try the next day. And the next. And the next. Until he gets it!!! And then when he does, applaud him. Praise him for his effort. Praise him for his accomplishment.

Once your child get’s the hang of a one-piece puzzle, move on to 2-piece puzzles, then 4 then 6. Don’t just suddenly make a big leap to 24. A child needs to go through these steps to learn things and to enjoy the process, too.

Some toddlers just don’t like puzzles. Don’t overwhelm or force him to like it. Put it away for a week or two. And try again another day.

Another thing you can do is for you to play with it, making sure he hears you talking as you do it. Then, don’t get him to do it right away. Leave it where he can see it. And one day, he might just pick it up and do it himself.

When Can Toddlers Do Puzzles?

This varies greatly between toddlers. The CDC Milestone checklist shows that your child can start playing with puzzles at 18 months. You’ll find that at this age, some toddlers are readily open to it while others would just see it as the next thing to chew on.

How do Puzzles Help A Child’s Development?

What do Children Learn From Doing Puzzles? What do puzzles do to the brain? What skills do puzzles develop?

Allow me to say the obvious first. When a child plays happily with puzzles with a caregiver, he/she experiences a loving caring relationship. And for a toddler, there’s nothing more important than knowing that you’re loved, cared and protected (whether or not you know how to put a puzzle together!)

With that said, playing with puzzles also develops the brain and accelerates the development of your child’s cognitive skills.

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